Independent candidates former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, and Democratic candidate Zoran Mamdani participate in the mayoral election debate in New York, USA, on October 16, 2025.
Angelina Katsanis | via Reuters
New York City voters are set to elect a new mayor on Tuesday, with two Big Apple celebrities vying to defeat Zoran Mamdani, a democratic socialist and relative newcomer whose sudden political rise has garnered national attention.
Mamdani, a Democratic candidate, is facing off against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a longtime Democrat running as an independent, and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, a Republican.
The winner will replace Mayor Eric Adams, who withdrew from the contest at the end of September after being plagued by scandal.
Mamdani, currently in his third term in the state House of Representatives, defeated the 67-year-old Cuomo in a stunning upset in the Democratic primary in June.
General election polls show Mamdani consistently in the lead.
Mamdani, a Ugandan native who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018, is calling for a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments in the city, free public buses and the creation of a city-run grocery store.
His platform and political worldview have sparked a backlash from the city’s billionaires and other business interests, and an anti-Mandani political action committee has raised more than $40 million to oppose his candidacy and support Mr. Cuomo.
Cuomo previously served as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and New York State Attorney General, but resigned as governor in August 2021 after being accused of sexual harassment by multiple women.
Cuomo’s father, Mario Cuomo, served three terms as governor and has denied any wrongdoing.
His campaign platform calls for expanding the city’s police department, adding more officers to the city’s subways, building more affordable housing and reducing class sizes in schools.
Sliwa, 71, a former radio host, is campaigning for mayor for the second time, focusing on security issues and calling for the hiring of 7,000 additional police officers.
Adams also sat out the Democratic primary and was running as an independent candidate.
Adams’ public approval ratings plummeted after he was indicted on federal corruption charges in 2024, which were dismissed by a judge on a Justice Department order following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Adams endorsed Cuomo last month, recently calling him a “snake and a liar.”
Since Mr. Adams’ withdrawal, Mr. Sliwa has been under increasing pressure to withdraw from the race to improve Mr. Cuomo’s chances of facing Mr. Mamdani.
Among those calling for Sliwa’s resignation is Trump, a Republican who has repeatedly made inaccurate claims that Mamdani is a “communist.”
This is developing news. Please check back for the latest information.
